Air-suspended seat surfaces for folding vehicle seats

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat includes a seatback having a coverstock defining a seat surface with a flexible lower region and a flexible upper region. The seatback further has a compressible upper bladder beneath the coverstock upper region and a compressible inflation bladder positioned beneath the coverstock lower region and in fluidic communication with the upper bladder. A first fixed quantity of a flowable medium is contained in and is partially transferrable between the upper bladder and the inflation bladder.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a vehicle seat havingcompressible portions to facilitate folding of the seat. Thecompressible portions can be inflated into extended positions during useof the seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles may include foldable seats in which a seatback thereof can berotated in a downward direction into contact with a correspondingcushion. Folding seats can be used in connection with, for example, therear seats of a vehicle such that the seatbacks thereof can be folded,when not occupied by a passenger or the like, to expand the cargo areaprovided by the trunk of the vehicle. Accordingly, the degree to whichthe seatback can be folded impacts the useable cargo area achieved bysuch folding. Due to ergonomic and other concerns, seatbacks andcushions may have contours and thicknesses that limit the folding of theseatback such that a rear surface of the seatback, on which cargo issupported, is angled significantly upward from the adjacent trunksurface. This can impact both the useable cargo space, as well as theability to reliably place objects on the sloped surface. Accordingly,improvements to vehicle seats are desired that allow for a greaterdegree of folding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seatincludes a seatback having a coverstock defining a seat surface with aflexible lower region and a flexible upper region. The seatback furtherhas a compressible upper bladder beneath the coverstock upper region anda compressible inflation bladder positioned beneath the coverstock lowerregion and in fluidic communication with the upper bladder. A firstfixed quantity of a flowable medium is contained in and is partiallytransferrable between the upper bladder and the inflation bladder.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a seatback for avehicle seat includes a coverstock defining a seatback surface with aflexible lower region and a flexible upper region. The seatback furtherincludes a compressible upper bladder beneath the coverstock upperregion and a compressible inflation bladder underlying the coverstocklower region and in fluidic communication with the upper bladder. Afixed quantity of a flowable medium is contained in and is partiallytransferrable between the upper bladder and the inflation bladder.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seatincludes a seatback having an upper bladder within an upper regionthereof and a first inflation bladder within the seatback remote fromthe upper region. The seat further includes a cushion with which theseatback is rotatably coupled. The first inflation bladder is incommunication with the upper bladder and defines a first closed unittherewith containing a first fixed quantity of a flowable medium.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present inventionwill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a portion of a vehicle interior including afoldable vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle interior portion including thefoldable vehicle seat of FIG. 1 with the seat in a folded configuration;

FIG. 3 is a is a side view of the vehicle interior portion including thefoldable vehicle seat of FIG. 1 with the seat in an open configurationwith an occupant therein;

FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway view of a portion of the foldable vehicleseat of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side, cross section view of a collapsible bladder useable inthe foldable vehicle seat of FIG. 1, the bladder being shown in aninflated state;

FIG. 6 is a side, cross section view of the collapsible bladder of FIG.5 in a collapsed state;

FIG. 7 is a front-perspective view of a foldable vehicle seat accordingto another embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a front, cross section view of a portion of the foldablevehicle seat of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a front, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 7 in a compressed state;

FIG. 10 is a detail, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a further detail, cross section view of additional structuresuseable in connection with the foldable vehicle seat portion of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a side, cross section view of a foldable vehicle seataccording to a further embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a side, cross section view of a foldable vehicle seataccording to a still further embodiment of the disclosure, the vehicleseat shown in a folded state;

FIG. 14 is a side, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 14 in an open, unoccupied state;

FIG. 15 is a side, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 14 in an open, occupied state;

FIG. 16 is a side, cross section view of a foldable vehicle seataccording to a still further embodiment of the disclosure, the vehicleseat shown in an open, unoccupied state;

FIG. 17 is a side, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 14 in an open, occupied state; and

FIG. 18 is a side, cross section view of the foldable vehicle seatportion of FIG. 14 in a folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “interior,”“exterior,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention asoriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood that the inventionmay assume various alternative orientations, except where expresslyspecified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specificdevices and processes illustrated in the attached drawing, and describedin the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of theinventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specificdimensions and other physical characteristics relating to theembodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting,unless the claims expressly state otherwise. Additionally, unlessotherwise specified, it is to be understood that discussion of aparticular feature of component extending in or along a given directionor the like does not mean that the feature or component follows astraight line or axis in such a direction or that it only extends insuch direction or on such a plane without other directional componentsor deviations, unless otherwise specified.

Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 generally designates a vehicleseat. Vehicle seat 10 includes a cushion 12 having a cushion coverstock14 defining a seat surface 16 with a flexible central region 18 and aflexible edge region 20. A compressible edge bladder 22 is locatedbeneath the edge region 20 of cushion coverstock 14 and a firstcompressible inflation bladder 24 is positioned beneath central region18 of coverstock 14 and is in fluidic communication with the edgebladder 22 (such as by connection therewith by a cushion tube 26). Afirst fixed quantity of a flowable medium 28 (such as air or othervarious inert, non-reactive gasses or mixtures thereof) is contained inand is partially transferrable between the edge bladder 22 and theinflation bladder 24.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, vehicle seat 10 can include a seatback 30 thatcan be rotatably coupled with cushion 12 such that seatback 30 can beconfigured in an open position wherein the seatback 30 is away from edgeregion 20 (as shown in FIG. 1) and a folded, or closed, position (asshown in FIG. 2), wherein a portion of seatback 30 is in contact withedge region 20. In general, the structure of vehicle seat 10 may besimilar to that which may be typically found in connection with the rearseats of a vehicle, whereby the folding provided by vehicle seat 10 (asshown in FIG. 2) can be used to increase the cargo capacity of anadjacent trunk of the associated vehicle. Such a folding configurationcan also be used in one or more of the front seats 32 of the associatedvehicle, such as the passenger-side front seat 32. Accordingly, thevarious features of vehicle seat 10 discussed herein may be particularlydescribed with reference to a vehicle seat 10 positioned toward the rearof the associated vehicle, and maybe implemented in connection with, forexample, a rear bench-style seat (such as a 60/40 split-folding rearbench), rear captain-style seats, or the like. Such features, however,may also be usable in connection with a front passenger seat 32.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, the incorporation of inflationbladder 24 and edge bladder 22 connected, for example, by tube 26 (whichcouples with edge bladder 22 and inflation bladder 24 on opposite endsthereof), can provide for an alteration of the profile of cushion 12when seat 10 is unoccupied such that an angle 36 of rear seat surface 34with respect to trunk floor 38 of about 6°, or less can be achieved.Further, such features may allow cushion 12 to provide a comfortable andsafe contour for an occupant O when seated thereon, as shown in FIG. 3.In particular, the various features of cushion 12 provide for suchvariation in the contour of seat surface 16 by facilitating transfer offlowable medium 28 between inflation bladder 24 and edge bladder 22under various circumstances. In particular, both edge bladder 22 andinflation bladder 24 can both be generally compressible and/or flexiblesuch that they can be compressed or expanded by variation in pressureeither interior or exterior thereof.

Edge bladder 22, inflation bladder 24, and tube 26 can be of a generallyair-impermeable material, such as plastic or the like such that the edgebladder 22, inflation bladder 24, and tube 26 define a closed unit orsystem containing a fixed quantity of flowable medium 28 therein. In anexample, edge bladder 22 and inflation bladder 24 can be configured tocontain the flowable medium 28 at a pressure of up to about 3 pounds persquare inch gauge (“p.s.i.g.”), but can be inflated with flowable medium28 to between about one-third and one-half of such maximum pressure, orbetween about 0.5 p.s.i.g. and 1.0 p.s.i.g. Accordingly, an increase inexternal pressure over one of either edge bladder 22 or inflationbladder 24 can cause at least a portion of the flowable medium 28 withinsuch structure to transfer and increase the interior pressure of suchflowable medium 28 within the other of such structures. In this manner,the pressure of flowable medium 28 within the closed structure of edgebladder 22, inflation bladder 24, and tube 26 can reach a consistent,equilibrium pressure within such unit.

The above-described transfer of flowable medium 28 between edge bladder22 and inflation bladder 24 by pressure applied to inflation bladder 24may result in compression of inflation bladder 24 and a correspondinginflation, or at least an increase of the pressure of flowable medium 28therein, of edge bladder 22 (so long as any external pressure applied toedge bladder 22 is less than the pressure by which inflation bladder 24is compressed). As shown in FIG. 3, this transfer is carried out when anoccupant O is seated on the vehicle seat 10, wherein a majority of theweight of occupant O is centered over central region 18 of seat surface16 and, accordingly on inflation bladder 24, which is positionedtherebeneath. The weight of occupant O on inflation bladder 24 appliespressure thereon, thereby transferring an amount of the flowable medium28 to edge bladder 22, which causes edge bladder 22 to inflate or expandunder pressure, thereby providing a retention, or supporting, force tosupport edge region 20 of seat surface 16 above an underlying portion46, of floor pan 48 in a generally elevated position sufficient tomaintain edge region 20 in contact with portions of occupant O thereover(at least when occupant O is in a neutral seated position).

As shown in FIG. 1, where no occupant O is seated in vehicle seat 10,edge bladder 22 and inflation bladder 24 may be in a generally neutralstate, which may at least be partially dictated by the natural positionof seat surface 16, as dictated by coverstock 14. In general, coverstock14 may be comprised of various layers of foam and fabric or leather andmay result in a flexible structure such that the various portionsthereof are moveable by, for example, a force applied thereto causingcompression of the underlying structure (including edge bladder 22 andinflation bladder 24) or by expansion of either of edge bladder 22 orinflation bladder 24, as discussed further below. When seatback 30 isrotated into a folder position, as shown in FIG. 2, a portion ofseatback 30 may be brought into contact with edge region 20 of cushion12. A force applied to seatback 30, when positioned as such, mayincrease the pressure of the flowable medium 28 within edge bladder 22,thereby compression edge bladder 22 by movement of the edge region 20 ofcoverstock 14 into a compressed position (FIG. 2), therebycorrespondingly increasing the pressure of the flowable medium 28 withininflation bladder 24 and allowing seatback 30 to fold to a generallyflatter position (i.e. of a higher angle 36) then would be possiblewithout the compression of edge region 20.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the above-described compression of edgebladder 22 can allow for a change (and/or thickness) of edge bladder 22.As shown in FIG. 5, when edge bladder 22 is in an inflated state, edgebladder 22 may have a height 41 that generally corresponds to theelevated position of edge region 20 of seat surface 16 (FIG. 3). Uponcompression of edge bladder 22, as shown in FIG. 6, edge bladder 22 mayhave a height 43 that is less than height 41 thereof in the inflatedstate, and which may correspond to the position of edge region 20 ofseat surface 16 when in the compressed position (FIG. 2). In an example,edge bladder 22 may be configured such that height 43 is less thanheight 41 by at least about 20 mm, and in one example between about 30mm and 40 mm, thereby facilitating similar compression of edge region 20of cushion 12. In an example, height 43 of edge bladder 22 in thecompressed position may be about 20.0 mm. Further, compression of edgebladder 22 may not be evenly-distributed in a direction from the frontof cushion 12 to the rear thereof, the compression thereof beingmeasured in such an example by a portion thereof that exhibits thegreatest degree of compression.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, edge bladder 22 may define aplurality of fixed cells 44 which may substitute for all or a portion ofany foam which may otherwise be present in coverstock 14 at least in thearea of edge bladder 22. As illustrated, such fixed cells 44 do notappreciably expel any air or other medium contained therein duringcompression of edge bladder 22. Further, cells similar to fixed cells 44may be present along a portion of inflation bladder 24 and/or along anentirety of seat surface 16 and also within seatback 30.

Returning now to FIGS. 1-3, vehicle seat 10 can include an additionalbladder in the form of an upper bladder 50 within a flexible upperregion 52 of seatback 30. As illustrated, in an embodiment upper bladder50 can be connected with inflation bladder 24 by a seatback tube 54. Inthis manner, seatback tube 54 and upper bladder 50 can be included inthe closed unit described above as including edge bladder 22, inflationbladder 24, and cushion tube 26. As such, upper bladder 50 can be of thesame or similar material to edge bladder 22 and inflation bladder 24 soas to be generally compressible by resilient deformation thereof underpressure and may further be generally air impermeable such that thefixed quantity of flowable medium 28 can further be contained in upperbladder 50 and transferrable at least in part, between inflation bladder24 and upper bladder 50 by seatback tube 54.

In a manner similar to edge bladder 22, described above, upper bladder50 can support a portion of seatback coverstock 56 within upper region52 thereof when upper bladder 50 is in an inflated or expanded state dueto pressure on inflation bladder 24, such as by the weight of occupantO, as shown in FIG. 3. Further, a portion of flowable medium 28 can beexpelled from upper bladder 50 and into inflation bladder 24 due topressure applied to upper region 52, such as by forceable movement ofseatback 30 into the folded position shown in FIG. 2. Such compressioncan allow for a decrease in thickness of seatback 30 adjacent upperregion 52 by movement of seatback coverstock 56 within upper region 52between an extended position and an inward position wherein a thicknessof seatback 30 is greater when coverstock 56 is in the extended position(thickness 62 in FIG. 1) within upper region 52 than when in thecompressed position (thickness 64 in FIG. 3). Such compressibility mayfurther add to the ability of vehicle seat 10 to fold into a relativelyflatter position. In such an embodiment, inflation bladder 24 can besized to receive portions of flowable medium 28 from both upper bladder50 and edge bladder 22 when both are in the compressed state.

In another example of a vehicle seat 110 shown in FIG. 7, vehicle seat110 includes an inflatable and compressible edge bladder 122 as well asan inflatable and compressible upper bladder 150 and can, further,include a plurality of inflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c. Inthe example shown, a central one of the inflation bladders 124 b can beconnected with upper bladder 150 by seatback tube 154 such thatcompression of inflation bladder 124 b causes inflation and/or expansionof upper bladder 150, and compression of upper bladder 150 is permittedabsent a greater compressive force on inflation bladder 124 b. Further,a corresponding pair of inflation bladders 124 a and 124 c, positionedlaterally outside of and surrounding inflation bladder 124 b on opposingsides thereof, are connected with edge bladder 122 by cushion tube 126having a plurality of a branch 166 fluidically coupled with inflationbladder 126 c. In this configuration, a pressure evenly distributedalong central region 18 of seat surface 16 can provide for a greaterquantity of air flow, and accordingly, a greater amount of pressureincrease within edge bladder 122, as compared to upper bladder 150. Suchas pressure differential may be advantageous, as the weight applied overedge region 120 may be greater than that applied on upper region 152when an occupant is seated in vehicle seat 110.

As shown in FIGS. 8-11, vehicle seat 110 may be specifically configuredto retain inflation bladders 124 in a desired position within cushion112. As such, cushion 112 may include a lower tray 168 configured forsupporting inflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c and a cover foamunit 170 shaped to extend over and separate inflation bladders 124 a,124 b, and 124 c. Further, cover foam 170 may include a plurality ofgrooves 174 sized to receive therein corresponding ridges 172 a, 172 b,and 172 c coupled with and extending from inflation bladders 124 a, 124b, and 124 c, respectively. Ridges 172 can be integrally formed withinflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c, such as by heat-sealing ofexcess material thereof by a distance corresponding to a desired heightof ridges 172 a, 172 b, and 172 c. Accordingly, when cover foam unit 170is assembled over inflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c, ridges 172a, 172 b, and 172 c can be received in corresponding grooves 174 a, 174b, and 174 c, thereby helping to retain the desired position ofinflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c, such as by prevention ofrotation or twisting thereof. Such a configuration may be particularlyuseful in preventing such movement of inflation bladders 124 a, 124 b,and 124 c during compression, such as by the weight of occupant O oncushion 12, as shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 10, tray 168 may include additional ridges 176extending therealong that correspond to grooves 178 formed in a portionof cover foam 170. Engagement of ridges 76 with grooves 78 facilitatingcoupling of cover foam 170 with tray 168, which may help to retaininflation bladders 124 a, 124 b, and 124 c within cushion 12. To furtherfacilitate retention of ridges 172 and/or ridges 76 within correspondinggrooves 174 and 178 a plurality of resiliently deformable fins 180 maybe coupled within grooves 174 and 178, such fins 180 extending toward acenter of the corresponding grooves 174 or 180 and generally angling ina direction of insertion of the corresponding ridges 176 and 172,thereby allowing insertion thereof, but generally restrictingwithdrawal.

As shown in FIG. 12 in a variation, vehicle seat 210 can include aplurality of inflation bladders 224 a, 224 b, and 224 c that extendlaterally with respect to cushion 212 (i.e. in a direction in and out ofthe page with respect to FIG. 12). Further, vehicle seat 210 can includea plurality of edge bladders 222 a and 222 b, as well as a plurality ofupper bladders 250 a and 250 b, all extending laterally with respect toedge region 220 and upper region 252, respectively. In such anarrangement, inflation bladder 224 b can be connected by a tube (notshown) with both upper bladders 250 a and 250 b. Further, both ofinflation bladders 224 a and 224 c can be fluidically coupled by a tube(not shown) with both edge bladders 222 a and 222 b. Alternatively,inflation bladder 224 a can be fluidically coupled with edge bladder 222b and inflation bladder 224 c can be fluidically coupled with edgebladder 222 a, with other such combinations also being contemplated.

As shown in FIGS. 13-15, in a variation of vehicle seat 310 edge bladder322 and inflation bladder 324 can be configured to extend substantiallythroughout the entirety of seat surface 316, including in a fore-aftdirection within the associated vehicle. In such a configuration, edgebladder 322 can be configured to partially overlap with inflationbladder 324 in a vertical direction 384. The extension of edge bladder322 and inflation bladder 324 throughout the entirety of seat surface316 may help to provide reliable compression of inflation bladder 324 byan occupant O seated in vehicle seat 310, including by accommodating forvarious seating positions of occupant O with respect to vehicle seat310. Further, the overlap between edge bladder 322 and inflation bladder324 may help provide a generally smooth transition between suchcomponents when an occupant O is seated in vehicle seat 310, as shown inFIG. 15.

As shown in FIG. 13, vehicle seat 310 may function in a similar mannerto other embodiments of vehicle seats discussed herein, including byallowing deflation of edge bladder 322 under pressure from adownwardly-folded seatback 330 against edge region 320 of cushion 312,including transfer of a portion of the flowable medium 328 from edgebladder 322 to inflation bladder 324. As shown in FIG. 14, absent anyexternal pressure on seat surface 316, that natural shape of coverstock314 may cause edge bladder 322 and inflation bladder 324 to beconfigured in a general neutral position, including positioning of edgeregion 320 in an elevated position. As shown in FIG. 15, pressure oninflation bladder 324 by the weight of an occupant O thereon, forexample, may cause a transfer of flowable medium 328 from inflationbladder 324 into edge bladder 322, thereby providing an expansion forcewithin edge bladder 322 sufficient to urge edge region 320 into theextended position and/or to maintain edge region 320 in such a positionunder the weight of the legs, for example, of occupant O thereon.

In an further variation of vehicle seat 310, shown in FIGS. 13-15, edgebladder 322 and inflation bladder 324 may be formed in a single bladderunit, such as by being formed in a unitary structure such as a largerbladder unit with division therebetween along the area of overlap 81between the portion thereof designated as edge bladder 322 and theportion thereof designated as inflation bladder 324. In such a manner,inflation bladder 324 and edge bladder 322 may be in fluidiccommunication by one or more gaps (not shown) in a seam or otherstructure separating edge bladder 322 from inflation bladder 324.

Turning now to FIGS. 16-18, a further variation of vehicle seat 410 isshown, in which seatback 430 includes an upper bladder 450 positionedbeneath an upper region 452 of seatback coverstock 456. Upper bladder450 is of a similar construction to, for example, upper bladder 450described above with respect to FIGS. 1-3 and is further compressible byexpulsion of a portion of a flowable medium 428 contained therein undera pressure applied thereto and inflatable by transfer of a furtherportion of a flowable medium 428 thereinto. As illustrated, seatback 430further includes a seatback inflation bladder 486 positioned therein andunderlying a lower region 458 of seatback coverstock 456 thatcorresponds, for example, to the general area of seatback 430 thatprovides lumbar support for an occupant. Accordingly, a second fixedquantity of flowable medium 428 is contained within the closed unitformed by seatback inflation bladder 486, upper bladder 450 and seatbacktube 454, which fluidically connects upper bladder 450 with seatbackinflation bladder 486,

As shown in FIG. 17, seatback inflation bladder 486 is compressibleunder the weight of a portion of occupant O (e.g. the lower back region)when seated in vehicle seat 410. Such compression of seatback inflationbladder 486 causes a portion of the fixed quantity of the flowablemedium 428 into upper bladder 450, thereby increasing the pressure ofthe flowable medium 428 within upper bladder 450 and providing acorresponding force therein to retain the upper region 452 in anextended position (as shown in FIGS. 17) to maintain upper region 452 ofseatback coverstock 456 in general contact with an adjacent portion ofoccupant O. The pressure of the flowable medium 428 within seatbackinflation bladder 486, upper bladder 450, and seatback tube 454 can bein the same general range of pressure for flowable medium 28 describedabove with respect to FIGS. 1-3.

With further reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, lower region 460 of seatbackcoverstock 456 can be generally flexible between an extended position(FIG. 16) and a compressed position (FIG. 17), with the extendedposition in FIG. 17 generally corresponding to a typical contour of acomparable region in an ordinary vehicle seatback for the support of anoccupant's lumbar back area, with the compressed position shown in FIG.16 flexing inwardly from the remaining portions of seatback coverstock456 by an amount approximately equal to that would be ordinarilyobserved in a vehicle seat under the pressure of the back of anoccupant. This configuration results inward flexing of lower region byoccupant O in an ordinary seated position so as to move inflationbladder 486 into the compressed state shown in FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 18, when seatback inflation bladder 486 is in a neutralstate, such as when not being compressed by the weight of an occupant invehicle seat 410, upper bladder 450 is compressible so as to permitmovement of the upper region 452 of seatback coverstock 456 to be movedinto the corresponding compressed position, such as under forciblemovement of seatback 430 into the folded position shown in FIG. 18,wherein edge region 420 of cushion 412 is pressed into upper region 452of seatback coverstock 456. Such compression of upper region 452 and ofupper bladder 450 can be generally similar to the compression thereofdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 1-3.

In various embodiments of a vehicle seat 410 including a seatback 430,as described above, and further including seatback inflation bladder 486fluidically coupled with upper bladder 450, the corresponding cushion412 can itself include an inflation bladder 424 fluidically coupled withan edge bladder 422 in a similar manner to the various embodimentsdiscussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-16. In such embodiments,inflation bladder 424 can be fluidically coupled with edge bladder 422only and not with upper bladder 450. Further, various alternativeembodiments of a seatback including an upper bladder coupled with aseatback inflation bladder can be similar to the various alternativeembodiments of inflation bladder 124, inflation bladder 224, orinflation bladder 324, and corresponding variations of the edge bladder122, 222, and 322, described above with respect to FIGS. 4-6, FIGS.7-11, FIG. 12, and FIGS. 13-15.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the described invention and other components is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of theinvention disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of itsforms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining oftwo components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removableor releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the invention as shown in the exemplary embodiments isillustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the presentinnovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, thoseskilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, theoperation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, thelength or width of the structures and/or members or connector or otherelements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustmentpositions provided between the elements may be varied. It should benoted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may beconstructed from any of a wide variety of materials that providesufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors,textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present innovations.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired andother exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of thepresent innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps withindescribed processes may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present invention. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

We claim:
 1. A vehicle seat, comprising: a seatback including: a coverstock defining a seat surface with a flexible lower region and a flexible upper region; a compressible upper bladder beneath the coverstock upper region; a first compressible inflation bladder positioned beneath the coverstock lower region and in fluidic communication with the upper bladder; and a first fixed quantity of a flowable medium contained in and partially transferrable between the upper bladder and the inflation bladder.
 2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein: the flexible upper region of the coverstock is moveable between a compressed position and an extended position; and the upper bladder is compressible to permit movement of the upper region into the compressed position.
 3. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the upper bladder is compressible by transfer of at least a portion of the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the upper bladder to the first inflation bladder.
 4. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the upper bladder is inflatable by transfer of at least a portion of the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the first inflation bladder to the upper bladder to provide a retention force to the upper region in the extended position.
 5. The vehicle seat of claim 1, further including a cushion with which the seatback is rotatably coupled, wherein: the seatback is rotatable between an open position and a closed position, the upper region of the seatback being positioned away from the cushion when the seatback is in the open position, and the upper region being in contact with a portion of the cushion when the seatback is in the closed position; and when in the closed position, the contact between the upper region with the portion of the cushion compresses the upper bladder, thereby transferring portions of the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the upper bladder to the first inflation bladder.
 6. The vehicle seat of claim 5, wherein the cushion defines a flexible central region and a flexible edge region, the cushion including: a compressible edge bladder within the edge region and a compressible second inflation bladder within the central region and in fluidic communication with the edge bladder; and a second fixed quantity of the flowable medium contained in and partially transferrable between the edge bladder and the second inflation bladder.
 7. The vehicle seat of claim 6, wherein the edge bladder is inflatable by transfer of at least a portion of the second fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the second inflation bladder to the edge bladder to provide a retention force on the edge region of the cushion in an elevated position.
 8. A seatback for a vehicle seat, comprising: a coverstock defining a seatback surface with a flexible lower region and a flexible upper region; a compressible upper bladder beneath the coverstock upper region; a compressible inflation bladder underlying the coverstock lower region and in fluidic communication with the upper bladder; and a fixed quantity of a flowable medium contained in and partially transferrable between the upper bladder and the inflation bladder.
 9. The seatback of claim 8, wherein: the inflation bladder is compressible from a neutral state to a compressed state; and when the inflation bladder is in the neutral state, the coverstock upper region is compressible from an extended position to a compressed position by corresponding compression of the upper bladder causing at least partial transfer of the fixed quantity of flowable medium from the upper bladder to the inflation bladder.
 10. The seatback of claim 9, wherein when the inflation bladder is in the compressed state, at least a portion of the fixed quantity of flowable medium flows from the inflation bladder to the upper bladder, thereby providing a supporting force within the upper bladder to maintain the upper region of the coverstock in the extended position.
 11. The seatback of claim 8, wherein the inflation bladder and the upper bladder are fluidically coupled by a tube in fluidic communication with the upper bladder at a first end thereof and the inflation bladder at a second end thereof.
 12. The seatback of claim 8, wherein the inflation bladder and the upper bladder are defined in a single bladder unit, at least one seam thereof separating the inflation bladder and the upper bladder, and a gap in the seam providing fluidic communication between the inflation bladder and the upper bladder.
 13. The seatback of claim 9, wherein: the coverstock defines a neutral shape within the central region; and when in the neutral state, the inflation bladder exerts a force on the coverstock lower region to maintain the coverstock lower region in the neutral shape.
 14. The seatback of claim 13, wherein when the coverstock lower region is in the neutral shape, the inflation bladder is in the compressed state.
 15. A vehicle seat, comprising: a seatback including an upper bladder within an upper region thereof and a first inflation bladder within the seatback remote from the upper region; and a cushion with which the seatback is rotatably coupled; wherein the first inflation bladder is in communication with the upper bladder and defines a first closed unit therewith containing a first fixed quantity of a flowable medium.
 16. The vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium is partially transferrable between the first inflation bladder and the upper bladder.
 17. The vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein: the first inflation bladder is compressible from a neutral state to a compressed state; and when the first inflation bladder is in the neutral state, the upper region of the seatback is compressible from an extended position to a compressed position by compression of the upper bladder causing at least partial transfer of the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the upper bladder to the first inflation bladder.
 18. The vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein the cushion defines a flexible central region and a flexible edge region and includes: a compressible edge bladder within the edge region and a second compressible inflation bladder within the central region and in fluidic communication with the edge bladder; and a second fixed quantity of the flowable medium contained in and partially transferrable between the edge bladder and the second inflation bladder.
 19. The vehicle seat of claim 18, wherein the edge bladder is inflatable by transfer of at least a portion of the second fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the second inflation bladder to the edge bladder to provide a retention force on the edge region of the cushion in an elevated position.
 20. The vehicle seat of claim 15, wherein: the seatback is moveable by the rotatable coupling thereof with the cushion between an open position and a folded position, the upper region of the seatback being positioned away from the cushion when the seatback is in the open position, and the upper region being in contact with a portion of the cushion when the seatback is in the folded position; and when in the folded position, the contact between the upper region and the cushion compresses the upper bladder, thereby transferring a portion of the first fixed quantity of the flowable medium from the upper bladder to the first inflation bladder. 